The findings of a recent cross-sectional survey recommend collaborative decision making for healthcare professionals and patients to support self-management of chronic pain. Also, for supporting self-management by patients with neuropathic characteristics, addressing low self-efficacy and depression issues may hold vital importance.

Chronic pain can be defined as the pain that persists for more than 3 months. It significantly impacts the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level of the individual suffering from it. Chronic pain requires affected individuals to self-manage their health.

The present study included community-dwelling Canadians and compared barriers and facilitators of self-management in two groups of people: Group 1 included chronic pain individuals with neuropathic characteristics and group 2 included chronic pain individuals without neuropathic characteristics.

There was a random selection of participants who reported chronic pain (n = 710). The neuropathic characteristics were evaluated by Self-Report Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs. Barriers and facilitators of self-management were 1) self-efficacy (Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire); 2) depression (Patient Health Questionnaire 9); 3) social support and relationship with health care provider (Chronic Illness Resources Survey); 4) pain intensity (numeric rating scale). Participants were asked to report factors which they felt made pain management easier or harder. Statistical analyses like frequency, percent, relative risk (RR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used.

Self-confidence was found to be the most commonly observed self-management barrier/facilitator to manage pain by both groups. But, the participants with neuropathic characteristics (n = 188) were more likely to report low self-efficacy than those without neuropathic characteristics. Participants with neuropathic characteristics were also more likely to screen positive for depression. No intergroup differences were observed social support and relationship with the health professional; however, 40.8% patients believed that they were not fairly involved in decision making and goal setting related to their care.